By whpcclerk
Residents are advised that due to the current weather conditions the roads through the village are in a dangerous condition. The Parish Council has reported the situation to Durham County Council and asked that they send a snow plough and gritter to clear the road as soon as possible.
Please note that Trimdon Watch Bank and Silent Bank are currently closed.
Please stay home if you can.
By whpcclerk
Councillors will next week hear how partnership work is helping to support residents through the coronavirus pandemic.
Durham County Council’s Cabinet is being updated on the key initiatives being carried out by the County Durham Partnership.
The partnership is made up of key public, private and voluntary sector organisations that work together to improve the quality of life for people within County Durham.
At the start of the pandemic, partners had to reprioritise their efforts to manage the response to coronavirus and adapt the ways in which services were delivered to the public.
The voluntary and community sector has been critical to this response with the community hub, County Durham Together, being established to coordinate food provision, welfare support, social contact and volunteering. The hub has helped support residents who are clinically extremely vulnerable or socially vulnerable, those who are self-isolating or those who need support to access food and essential supplies. It has also helped those who are isolated or lonely and those who have any concerns linked to coronavirus.
A dedicated £1.4 million coronavirus support fund was shared amongst the council’s 14 Area Action Partnerships (AAPs) at the start of the pandemic. This helped almost 300 community groups and organisations to support the county’s most vulnerable residents.
The partnership has also helped to develop a Covid-19 Community Champions programme to ensure that key messages continue to be shared within communities, and that these messages are trusted, concise and clear.
In order to deliver holiday activities and healthy food across the county, the child poverty working group was awarded £250,000 from the Poverty Action Group and public health to support children, young people and their families through the holidays.
Additionally, multiple services from across the council worked together to provide meals for 10,418 children across County Durham during the October half-term.
As a result of the economic implications of the pandemic, the County Durham Economic Partnership is helping to provide assistance to businesses in the hope of strengthening the county’s economy as well as providing support to young people who are likely to be hit hardest by unemployment.
Partners have also worked together to support World Mental Health Day given the impact of coronavirus and subsequent restrictions on the health and wellbeing of residents.
Meanwhile, the council’s 14 AAPs held virtual events in the autumn to gather the views of residents and businesses on a range of issues and update on what was happening in their area. Residents were given the opportunity to shape the county’s future activities at these events, including how towns and villages across the county could be made more vibrant.
Cllr Simon Henig, Durham County Council’s leader, said: “The coronavirus pandemic has had a profound impact on everyone in County Durham. However, the work of the wider County Durham Partnership has been a key strength in ensuring that communities have been well supported.
“The partnership, including our Safeguarding Boards, Better Together VCS Forum and our 14 AAPs will continue to work together with our communities through this difficult time and work to prevent health and wellbeing inequalities widening.
“Our relationships with other agencies and with our communities are built on solid foundations and will continue to provide a basis for improving outcomes for local people to meet the County Durham Vision of creating more and better jobs, connecting communities and helping people to live long and independent lives.”
Cabinet will meet virtually at 9.30am on Wednesday 13 January. Members of the public can view the meeting on the council’s YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/DurhamCouncil
By whpcclerk
The North East’s largest council is poised to invest £5 million to help businesses recover from the coronavirus pandemic.
Durham County Council looks set to roll out a grant scheme which would provide up to £40,000 in financial assistance to companies, to help them implement recovery plans to overcome the impacts of the virus.
The Durham Business Recovery Grant Scheme would support more than 880 firms and have the potential to safeguard over 1,760 jobs, across the county.
The scheme goes before the council’s Cabinet for approval next week.
Cllr Carl Marshall, the authority’s Cabinet member for economic regeneration, said: “We fully recognise that coronavirus and the restrictions that have come with it have been devastating for businesses, many of which have faced long periods of time closed with little or no income, or faced increased costs of adapting workplaces and methods of operation.
“We have tried to do everything we can to support companies across County Durham, by processing tens of millions of pounds in various grants since the pandemic began as quickly as we have been able to and we will continue to do so with the latest lockdown grants for the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors announced by the Chancellor.
“We are now delighted, subject to Cabinet approval, to be in a position to roll out our own Business Recovery Grants which will make a real difference for more than 880 businesses in all sectors by enabling them to progress their recovery plans and potentially safeguard in excess of 1,760 jobs.
“This is a truly significant investment in what represents one of our long term priorities: supporting businesses and developing a thriving economy. By helping firms, we are ensuring our economy is resilient and in the best possible shape to in time recover from the impact of the pandemic.”
A report to the meeting on Wednesday 13 January sets out how £3 million would come from the council’s own General Fund resources, with £2 million being made available from the authority’s allocation from the government’s Additional Restrictions Support Grant.
The grant scheme would be open to companies across County Durham, in all sectors and varying in size from micro-businesses to those employing up to 250 people in the county.
It would aim to provide financial support for the implementation of business recovery plans; helping firms that have a credible plan to adapt and recover but require additional financial support to be able to implement it.
The scheme would offer grants from £1,000 up to a maximum of £40,000 and would contribute 75 per cent towards the recovery plan costs, with the business expected to meet a quarter of the project cost.
It is estimated that the £5 million budget would allow at least 880 businesses to be supported.
Cabinet is also being asked to note support already being offered to micro businesses (those employing less than 10 people) in the county through the Durham Business Opportunities Programme.
Launched in October, this involves businesses being given one-to-one marketing support to help them increase their sales post-COVID and grants of up to £500 to help implement advice received.
The programme aims to support 110 businesses, with a grant pot of £55,000 which is being met from the reserve of Business Durham, the council’s economic development arm.
Cabinet is also being asked to note that a review is being carried out of funding available to support business start-up in the county. Members will be told that subject to the outcome, council may need to consider additional funding support for start-ups in the form of a grant or voucher scheme. A further report will be brought to Cabinet once the review has been completed.
Cabinet will also be told of further efforts by the council to support the county’s economy and its recovery from coronavirus, through the Social Value and Local Wealth Building (The County Durham Pound) project. Members will receive an update on the project which sees the council working with developers and suppliers to identify social value and wealth building opportunities. It also looks to ensure that social value and community wealth building are part of both the council’s response to Covid-19, and the delivery of the four priorities within the Council Plan 2020 – 2023.
By whpcclerk
The Government has announced a national lockdown and published guidance on what you can and cannot do during this time.
By whpcclerk
Citizens Advice County Durham is raising awareness of the benefits of being on the Priority Service Register for vulnerable individuals within our county. Please see below a leaflet about the Priority Service Register; what it is, who is eligible, and how to apply. Please share this information with anyone you think might benefit.
By whpcclerk
Residents in County Durham can now sign up for the Garden Waste Collection scheme for 2021.
The first collection from the Durham County Council service takes place in late March or early April, followed by fortnightly collections until November when the season ends.
Those who sign up before Sunday 14 February will receive all 17 collections during the year, dependent on Government advice on coronavirus.
Residents can sign up for a fee of £35. Those who subscribed to the scheme in 2020 will be charged £30.90 per existing bin subscription for 2021 due to coronavirus causing a late start in 2020.
Collection calendars and stickers will be provided to residents in advance of the scheme starting following subscription. Once the scheme has started, residents who sign up to the service will receive the remaining collections before the season ends.
John Shannon, Durham County Council’s strategic waste manager, said: “We would like to take this opportunity to thank customers who signed up to the 2020 scheme for their patience as there were interruptions to the service due to the ongoing pandemic.
“Over 65,000 residents signed up to the 2020 service which resulted in us collecting over 16,000 tonnes of garden waste”.
To sign up to the service or find out if a property is eligible, call 03000 260 000 or visit www.durham.gov.uk/gardenwaste
When residents subscribe to the service they are reminded to fix their bin sticker to the garden waste bin and put the bin out for collection by 7am on their allocated collection day.
Collection information will be available before the scheme starts and can be found by visiting www.durham.gov.uk/MyDurham and entering the postcode and property number.
Residents are reminded that the following items can go in the garden waste bin for composting and should not be used for any other waste:
Durham County Council provides garden waste collections to eligible properties in County Durham.
By whpcclerk
Wheatley Hill Parish Council has been advised by East Durham Medical Group of the following:
Residents over 80 years old can now book an appointment to receive the COVID-19 vaccination.
In order to arrange an appointment, and you are over 80, please contact YOUR surgery.
If you need assistance with transport, please inform the surgery, and transportation may be arranged for you to attend your appointment.
You can start ringing for appointments today. And vaccinations will be available from Thursday 17th December 2020.
By whpcclerk
Durham Constabulary hopes to build a single 48-cell custody facility at DurhamGate, near Spennymoor.
The new centre will provide a safe and modern custody suite which is urgently needed to replace the four ageing custody suites currently in use at Durham, Bishop Auckland, Darlington and Peterlee, one of which dates back to the 18th Century.
The review follows an inspection carried out last year by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) and Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons (HMIP) which highlighted “the poor physical conditions” in some custody suites and demanded action to bring them up to modern-day standards.
Durham Constabulary has taken seriously the recommendations of the report and has carried out extensive research over a number of months to examine the case to replace existing facilities with a single 21 century custody suite. That research concluded:
Operational impact and local policing: Officers will actually spend more time policing their local communities – because a number of detainees can be booked in at the same time, it will reduce waiting times for our officers, speed up the time it takes to process prisoners and therefore get back out on the streets more quickly, even after extra travel time is taken into account.
The proposal will have no impact on the number of police stations across the force area: every town which currently has a blue light station will still have one once work is complete and there will be no impact on the overall number of officers serving our communities.
In fact, it is likely that the process will release some custody sergeants back onto the streets of the communities they serve.
Economic impact: The proposals offer the best value to taxpayers and the most efficient use of officer time. The £21m custody centre will save around £400,000 in running costs each year, but with no loss of officers.
More importantly, the alternative would involve a lengthy, disruptive and costly upgrade of existing facilities. Figures for such an upgrade are unavailable, but would clearly be far in excess of the cost of building a new centre due to the age of the existing buildings and scale of the work involved in bringing them up to acceptable modern standards.
It would additionally mean a £21m investment into the economy of County Durham and generate much-needed jobs in construction and the supply chain.
Safety: A new centre would improve the safety and security of police officers and staff working in what can sadly be a dangerous environment, with clear lines of sight and sufficient interview rooms.
The facility will be specifically designed to improve safety, privacy and dignity for detainees, many of whom are vulnerable, and will significantly improve their welfare while in our care, including new medical facilities.
It will also provide an improved working environment for the health care workers, legal professionals and other non-operational staff needed to keep a modern custody centre working.
The new facility will include:
A planning application will be submitted and, if approved, the new facility would open in 2023.
Please see the list of FAQ’s related to the proposal below.
By whpcclerk
People with breathing conditions are being urged to take up their free flu vaccine offer to protect themselves and help reduce pressure on the NHS this winter.
Almost 16,000 people with a breathing condition in County Durham have not yet taken up the offer of a flu vaccine, meaning they and their loved ones are still at risk from this potentially life-threatening illness.
There are approximately 27,000 people of all ages living with a chronic breathing condition, such as asthma, emphysema, cystic fibrosis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), in the county and they are all eligible for a free flu vaccine.
People with breathing conditions are at increased risk of getting flu and being seriously affected by it and are also seven times more likely to die from flu than someone without an underlying health condition. However, the latest figures from Public Health England have revealed more than one third of those eligible for a free flu vaccine on these grounds have not taken up the offer.
This has prompted Durham County Council’s Public Health team, County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust, NHS County Durham Clinical Commissioning Group and NHS North of England Commissioning Support Unit to join forces to raise awareness of the importance of the flu vaccine, particularly among those with breathing conditions.
It is part of the joint #DoYourBit campaign set up by NHS and Public Health organisations across the region to encourage people to protect themselves and others by getting the flu vaccine. By keeping the number of flu patient admissions to hospital as low as possible, the NHS will be better placed to cope with the additional pressures of coronavirus during the winter season.
Also, by getting the flu vaccination now, people can ease the burden on those administering the Covid vaccine when it becomes available.
Councillor Lucy Hovvels, Durham County Council’s Cabinet member for Adult and Health Services, said: “It is concerning to see so many people with breathing conditions have not yet taken up the offer of the free flu vaccine.
“I know many people living with such conditions are trying to avoid leaving the house due to the coronavirus pandemic and this is understandable. However, by failing to get the flu vaccine they are putting themselves and others at risk.
“Now more than ever we are aware of the need to protect our loved ones, friends and neighbours and that is why it is vital that we all do our bit to protect the NHS and that everyone who is eligible for the flu vaccine gets it. You may not be seriously affected yourself, but you could pass it on to someone who might be, so please contact your GP and make an appointment as soon as possible.”
Dr Steve Cowie, consultant respiratory physician at County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust, said, “People with a chronic respiratory condition such as asthma, emphysema, cystic fibrosis and COPD are more likely to be seriously affected by flu and, sadly, are also at greater risk of dying. They are also at greater risk of becoming very unwell should they get Covid-19. It’s vital therefore, that they take up the offer of a free flu vaccine to protect themselves.”
As well as those with respiratory conditions, other people eligible for a free flu vaccine include: everyone aged 50 and over; pregnant women; children aged two to three years; people with certain health conditions; people in long-stay residential care; those on a carer’s allowance or anyone who is the main carer for an older or disabled person; people living with someone at high risk from coronavirus; and frontline health and social care workers.
More information is available at www.nhs.uk/conditions/vaccinations/flu-influenza-vaccine/
To find out more about #DoYourBit, visit www.doyourbit-nenc.co.uk
By whpcclerk
Durham County Council’s Enforcement officers are warning flytippers that they risk being stripped of their vehicles this Christmas.
The warning comes after a number of vehicles found to have been used in flytipping incidents in County Durham were taken off their owners for good.
Neighbourhood wardens from Durham County Council seized four vehicles as part of Operation Stop It, which aims to educate people on the need to dispose of waste safely and prosecute those responsible for flytipping.
One vehicle found to have been used a flytipping incident was sold at auction while two which were no longer roadworthy were crushed. Another vehicle found abandoned and similarly no longer roadworthy was also crushed. The crushing of the vehicles took place at North East Salvage in Peterlee on the council’s behalf.
The maximum fine for flytipping can be as much as £50,000.
Ian Hoult, the council’s neighbourhood protection manager, said: “These vehicles were seized as part of Operation Stop It, an ongoing investigation into flytipping.
“This is the sort of thing that can happen if you are caught flytipping with your vehicle.
“We will take them away from you, we will look to seize them and we will look to sell them at auction or if they are not roadworthy crush them.
“Operation Stop It has been going for some time now and we have been really pleased, overall, about the reduction in flytipping in County Durham up to April 2020.
“Our residents tell us on an ongoing basis that it is an issue for their areas and it is really important that we continue to tackle it.”
There are currently 45 Operation Stop It investigations into flytipping ongoing and a total of 15 vehicles have been seized as part of investigations since April.
In February this year the council invested £500,000 in the recruitment of 11 new wardens as part of efforts to ensure previous reductions in activities like flytipping are built on.
The £31million investment in frontline services included the biggest ever recruitment drive for wardens the council has seen. Some of those wardens are now able to focus solely on investigating flytipping.
Residents are advised not to employ anyone to take unwanted waste away without checking to see a registered waste carrier licence.
It is a person’s own responsibility to ensure they are disposing of waste properly and there is no excuse not to do so.
Waste can be taken to one of Durham County Council’s Household Waste Recycling Centres free of charge and bulky collections (large items) can be taken away for a fee.
For more information about booking a bulky waste collection go to https://www.durham.gov.uk/bulkywaste
Incidents of flytipping can be reported via the council’s reporting system which is at www.doitonline@durham.gov.uk
Anyone who witnesses flytipping (and it is safe to do so), should take a note of:
People are advised not look for clues in the waste, as there may be harmful items in it.
Also see link to video interview with Ian who explains more about Operation Stop It https://youtu.be/aP33eIh10PM
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